On December 24, 1929 President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou were hosting a holiday party, including the children of the President's aides and friends. In the hallway the Marine Band played Christmas songs. The President was enjoying the festivities when Ike Hoover, the White House usher, came into the room and whispered in the president’s ear. The president and his secretaries were needed immediately. Rarely has a crisis so immediately required the attention of the chief executive.
On October 20, 1924 an explosion occurred in the forward turret of the light cruiser USS Trenton. The event shocked the public, especially given that a very similar accident had already occurred aboard the Battleship Mississippi the previous June.